【HR Expert】A Pragmatic and Systemic Approach to Address a Pandemic

The recent pandemic caused by Covid-19 virus has literally turned the world upside down and brought many businesses and organizations to its knees.

Some organizations have been proactive and fast to mitigate any potential harm and are back to business with lots of precautions, whereas some are simply clueless on what to do and have taken a wait and see attitude. They wait for the government’s announcement and see if their competitors or other organizations have any measures put in place that they can emulate.

Why are some organizations well prepared? It could be they have a full proof Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to address an epidemic and pandemics such as ISO (International Organization for Standardization) processes. Now the question is, are these enough?  Is there any other way to be prepared? Yes, of course.

Here comes BCP (Business Continuity Planning). BCP is essentially a plan to ensure business and/or operations can continue despite any untoward incidents, natural disasters, calamities and in our current case, a pandemic. The continuity of business is important for several reasons – to provide product or service to clients, to generate income for the business in order to pay its expenses and of course to pay salaries to its workers.

What most companies may be doing post EMCO (Enhanced Movement Control Order) now may be Disaster Recovery Plan - checking the temperatures of workers and customers, providing hand sanitizers, sanitizing the offices, etc. Don’t get confused. This is not BCP. BCP is a proactive plan on what to do to prevent or minimize negative impacts of disasters. Human Resources personnel need to play an integral part in the BCP, however the ownership of the implementation and execution falls on Senior Management and not the Human Resources Department alone.

BCP has several stages as follows:

1. Establish a BCP Program

1. Gather BCP sponsors (Senior Management)
2. Identify the scope of legal and regularity authority
3. Appoint at least 5-8 steering committee members

2. Carry out Risk Evaluation

1. Identify and mitigate exposures
2. Identify the threats and risks
3. Identify controls and safeguards that are in place for protection of physical property, information and company reputation

3. Do a Business Impact Analysis

1. Determine critical and time-sensitive business processes
2. Plan and coordinate data gathering and analysis
3. Create Questionnaires
4. Identify impact to finance, legal aspects, and customers
5. Develop a cost/benefit analysis

4. Develop Business Continuity Strategies

1. Identify support services and resources required, such as an alternate work site, work from home and software support at alternate sites
2. Establish a records management system
3. Ensure there are data backup strategies

5. Ensure there is an Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan

1. Identify types of emergencies – fire, flood, riot, epidemic, pandemic and other natural disasters
2. Establish evacuation procedures for each type of emergency.
3. Identify and review existing emergency response procedures
4. Ensure to prioritize life safety by having a first aid kit, trained first aiders, defibrillator and contact numbers of ambulance
5. Ensure essential supplies are readily available such as hand sanitizers, masks, disinfectants, gloves, etc.
    
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6. Implement Business Continuity Plan

1. Introduce BCP during meetings and town hall sessions
2. Publish BCP policies
3. Disseminate checklists for smoother checking and implementation
4. Allocate emergency funds and purchase Insurance

7. Carry out Awareness and Training Programs

1. Conduct awareness sessions and activities on the importance of BCP
2. Conduct regular training programs to equip all related personnel

8. Foolproof It by Having Exercises, Audits and Reviews

1. Conduct exercises and test the plan, by having a fire drill and first aid emergency situation.
2. Establish an audit process
3. Review periodically

9. Communicate

1. Identify sources of communication – e-mail, social media sites, websites, letters, announcements in local newspapers, etc.
2. Ensure communication is directed internally and externally and include all stakeholders such as employees, suppliers, clients, local authorities, etc.
3. Identify a spokesperson to communicate with the media
4. Send out notifications to all employees

10. Coordinate

1. Coordinate with external agencies, suppliers, clients, government authorities and employees in the face of a disaster
2. Adhere to current laws and regulations at all times

The above lists are not exhaustive, but are suggested guidelines to be implemented to ensure an organization and its human resources are prepared to face any disasters or pandemic with a Business Continuity Plan to ensure the continuity of business.

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About Writer  (Carol Anthony)

As a HR Consultant, Coach and Trainer, I provide consultancy services, coaching and soft skills training (focusing on HR matters) to corporate customers.

I have worked in various organizations holding various HR roles for over 25 years. My last position was as a HR Manager for a MNC. In my role, I have hired, coached, motivated and mentored new hires and existing employees in sales, marketing, customer services, compliance, and finance.

I was a member of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) and Panel Member (Employer) of the Industrial Court of Malaysia.

Academically, I have 

1. MBA in Entrepreneurship from University of Wales TSD, UK
2. Bachelor of Business in BA from RMIT, Australia 
3. Certificate IV in Training & Assessment, Australia
4. Train the Trainer Certificate from HRDF
5. Competent Communicator Certificate from Toastmasters Club
6. NLP Practitioner Certificate from Neuro-Semantics Institute, USA

Through my experience in working in various industries, I bring a wealth of experience and share real-life important scenarios in the training programs that I deliver. These scenarios enable the participants to visualize the problems/issues and come up with solutions after which I share the best practices.